We’re about halfway through the summer preseason and its been a busier than usual one for the Blues. With a new manager, four new signings, and a stacked preseason schedule, things are moving quickly in the era of Roberto Martinez. The optimism that many felt when Martinez came aboard has remained, spread, and doubled. The summer for Everton during the “David Moyes-era” usually brought anxiety over keeping our best players and NEVER an early signing. I’m here to take an in-depth look at the preseason so far and what it could mean for the season ahead.
As it stands, Everton have played three preseason matches; against Austria Vienna, Accrington Stanley, and Blackburn Rovers, with one loss and two wins respectively. The Austria Vienna loss wasn’t bad – Everton was playing against a fully fit squad coming off a title-winning season. Throw in the fact that the full team wasn’t even together yet and that Vienna’s season started in a week and it’s easy to understand why they lost. Irish U-21 international Shane Duffy conceded a penalty in the first half and looked slow and suspect too often. Apostolos Vellios was the goal scorer for Everton.
The second match was against League 2 side, Accrington Stanley. Everton won comfortably 4-1. Of the players featured, Kevin Mirallas and Darron Gibson stuck out above the rest. Kevin ran rings around the Stanley defense, consistently threatening with crosses and runs. Gibson, on the other hand, pinged passes around the field as if it were a drill in training. Both scored, Kevin on a beautiful free kick and Gibson off a corner.
Their 3rd friendly was against Championship side Blackburn Rovers. The match ended in a 3-1 win for Everton, and saw the reemergence of Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic, who scored two goals as a substitute in the 2nd half. Kevin Mirallas was the other scorer for Everton, on a shot that took an extremely generous deflection off a Blackburn defender.
Everton’s remaining preseason schedule includes the International Champions Cup in the USA. The tournament will feature top sides from around Europe, including Italian champions Juventus and Spanish giants Real Madrid. Everton’s opening match is against Juventus. Their last preseason friendly is at Goodison against Spanish side Real Betis.
There is a lot to be learned about this new-look Everton side from these first three friendlies. First off, the team looks happy. They are adhering to Roberto Martinez’s patient passing game and, as mentioned by the Everton commentators on the match streams, they’re enjoying being on the ball more. Not to slight David Moyes, who plays a much more direct form of football, Everton look much livelier and much more likely to score with the precision passing of Gibson, Baines, Pienaar and company, rather than the long balls to Fellaini.
Secondly, the young players are starting to emerge into their own. Ross Barkley bossed the first half at Blackburn and Bryan Oviedo looked a constant threat, linking up in a very Baines-like way with Pienaar. New signing Arouna Kone got his first run in the first half and had few chances to get very involved in play. His one clear chance was a ball played over the top that he chased down and toe poked onto the crossbar and off the goalies back. Barcelona starlet Gerard Deulofeu warmed up on the sidelines late in the game but didn’t get in. He’s expected to feature in the ICC.
It’s an exciting time to be an Evertonian. The whole starting XI that finished 6th last season is still together. There is added depth to positions that needed it, (with the exception of the midfield), and promising young talents are taking the next steps into consistent first team action. Our manager is young, positive, and upbeat. The fans are in full voice at every match, whether it’s in Austria or Blackburn. The ICC will be the toughest challenge of the preseason for Everton, and if they can manage to make a run in the tournament, the confidence it will instill in the players and fans alike may just be enough to help us make a run at Champions League play.
All the above being mentioned, a lot of quality has been added in the Premier League this summer. Manchester City are the big spenders they’ve been for years now, Mourinho is back at Chelsea, Spurs have added quality, and even the likes of Norwich and Swansea have made some big key signings. It will be no easy task for Roberto Martinez’s men to push for that 4th place spot, but it’s a task that the whole club is ready for.
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